GENERAL HISTORY. 



[185 



in the heart of a hostile country, 

 cut off by a long tract of deserts 

 (for such they had been rendered) 

 from all military communication 

 with the source of his supplies. 



The retreat of the French was 

 at length fully decided, and Russia 

 was left at liberty to adopt a 

 system of action not imposed by 

 the present necessity of making 

 defence against superior power. 

 At this period, in October the 

 Emperor Alexander issued a pro- 

 clamation which gave a spirited, 

 but unexaggerated, view of the 

 relative situation of the two anta- 

 gonists. " Russians ! (said he) at 

 length the enemy of our country, 

 the foe of its independence and 

 freedom, has experienced a portion 

 of that terrible vengeance which 

 his ambitious and unprincipled ag- 

 gression had aroused. From the 

 period of his march from Wilna, 

 his army, great in numbers, as- 

 sured in valour and discipline, and 

 elated at the remembrance of vic- 

 tories gained in other regions, 

 threatened no less than the subju- 

 gation of the Russias. The system 

 which we had thought fit to adopt 

 strengthened that confidence. The 

 sanguinary battles fought on his 

 route, and which gave him tem- 

 porary possession of Smolensk, 

 flattered him with all the illusions 

 of victory. He reached Moscow, 

 and he believed himself invincible 

 and invulnerable. He now exulted 

 in the idea of reaping the fruit of 

 his toils, of obtaining for his sol- 

 diers comfortable winter-quarters; 

 and of sending out from thence, 

 next spring, fresh forces to ravage 

 and burn our cities, make captives 

 of our countrymen, overthrow our 

 lawi and holy religion, and subject 

 every thing to his lawless will. 



Vain presumptuous hope ! insolent 

 degrading menace ! A population 

 of forty millions, attached to their 

 sovereign and country, and devoted 

 to their religion and laws, the least 

 brave man of whom is superior to 

 his confederates and victims, can- 

 not be conquered by any hetero- 

 geneous force which he could 

 muster." After recounting what 

 has been done, the emperor goes 

 on to observe, " Much however 

 remains to be done, and that is in 

 your power. Let the line of his 

 retreat be rendered memorable by 

 your honest indignation : destroy 

 every thing which can be of ser- 

 vice to him, and our commanders 

 have orders to remunerate you. 

 Render your bridges, your roads, 

 impassable. In fine, adopt and 

 execute the suggestions of a brave, 

 wise, and patriotic heart, and show 

 yourselves deserving of the thanks 

 of your country and your sove- 

 reign." With what effect these 

 injunctions were put in practice 

 may be inferred from the narrative 

 alreadj- given of the disastrous re- 

 turn of the surviving French from 

 the country they had so cruelly 

 desolated. It only remains to be 

 observed, that the Russians, not 

 contented with the complete ex- 

 pulsion of their invaders, followed 

 up their success without taking 

 the repose usually allotted to the 

 winter, and exerted themselves for 

 the recovery of the districts an- 

 nexed to their empire, and the 

 renewal of their former influence 

 in that part of Europe. But the 

 particulars of these vigorous efforts 

 will form materials for the public 

 history of another year. 



Sweden continued during this 

 year to fix the attention of poli- 

 ticians, by a system of conduct 



that 



